Water - the gift of life - for children in Darfur

Summary

As you read this, children in Darfur villages in Sudan are walking for hours across the desert in search of water. They are missing school, childhood, and are in danger of being attacked on their journey as violence increases in Darfur. There is water, but it is underground - if only families could afford a hand pump. The children at the International School in Brooklyn, New York, are determined to help. They are leading the way with their sponsored Walk for Water - Please will you help too?

Challenge

Imagine you are 9 years old. Every day you miss school because you have to walk for 7 hours across scorching sand to fetch the water you and your younger brothers and sisters need to stay alive. You are thirsty, you are scared - what if you are attacked, or get lost in a sandstorm? You reach the hand pump, and have to queue. Finally, you face the long walk back - this time with a heavy Jerry Can. If only you had a pump in your village - there is water, but it is too deep underground to dig for.

Solution

Kids for Kids is the only charity dedicated to helping the children of Darfur. We have adopted 81 villages so far, helping 350,000 people, and hoping to adopt another 5 villages this year. Among our many grassroots projects, we install handpumps in this troubled region where many other charities refuse to work or are not allowed to operate. We fence in our handpumps to keep animals away to keep the water clean, but we add a trough outside the fence so that they too can drink.

Long-Term Impact

We train village committees and set up local funding mechanisms so that repairs can be carried out and the water can keep flowing long term. This is real sustainable change. Once the handpump is working, children no longer have to walk for water and can go to school. This transforms their entire future. Families can plant trees and grow vegetables, breaking the cycle of starvation and lifting them out of poverty. Your gift of water truly is the gift of life - long term - for children in Darfur.

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